Work Text:
Well, this afternoon certainly took a turn.
All for One, king of the underworld, ruler of the forsaken, and number one plight on this pathetic heroic society which sight would have made his late brother weep with joy, was not worried, however.
All for One never worried . He was at an age where the thought of worrying never even crossed his mind. He had mild concerns, at best, for when his great master plans were delayed by some two-bit heroes, some incompetent subordinates, or by that foolish woman’s successor.
No. All for One never worried. Not even when All Might himself had barged in the middle of an operation he had been conducting. One of the rare times he was present in person for it. He would have to screen whoever was in the known and take care of the leak himself. It was not the first time that golden-haired American-loving fool had sniffed him down so fast.
…Maybe an unknown Quirk was at play. All for One himself knew very well how a well-used Quirk could give one an edge, and in this day and age, Quirks had only gotten stronger.
…And speaking of Quirks, his current location seemed to have been the result of one.
“Well, would you look at that.”
The words slipped through his lips in a whisper. He never could get rid of the habit of voicing his thoughts out loud, even over near two hundred years of living. It was not a particularly strong issue anyway, since he always surrounded himself with listeners who would follow his every whims.
At this moment, however, he was alone, standing on a grassy hill, and looking down at a large, old-style red building towering over a small village below. With human sight alone, he probably would not have been able to see the living shadows and the people with frog Quirks busying themselves with opening shops and putting food and toys on display, but using about three enhancing vision Quirks combined, All for One could count the hair on that bulgy-eyed toad man’s hair.
The sky was still bright blue, but the preparation and decorations put over the street made it quite clear that an evening festival was on the way.
All for One had not heard about today being a day of festivities for the common people of Japan, but if he was fair to himself, he was not particularly paying attention to traditions in general. In the first place, only a country-side town as small and isolated as this one would be putting together such an outdated event.
Though, this alone gave a clue to All for One’s current location, which, really, was the man’s main concern (and not worry ). In his haste to escape All Might’s fist, he had made use of this Quirk, which he called ‘Rift’. All for One’s previous uses of the Quirk pointed to it being a short-distance teleportation which worked by tearing down the very fabric of space, and landing a few meters away. It would have been enough to confuse the eighth user of One for All, and given enough time for Kurogiri to pull All for One through a portal of his own and away from the number one hero.
That was the plan, anyway, had ‘Rift’ not been finicky and had it not landed him away at an unknown location.
Ujiko had warned him about using it, too. All for One did not usually let his collected Quirks fuse with one another, but Rift had a tendency to latch on them, and All for One had to mentally compartmentalize it to prevent it from reaching powers from other Quirks. All for One had a suspicion that he was not as careful as he should have been this time around.
Ah, well. The good doctor would probably appreciate the data collected from this mild delay. And from his combined sensory Quirks, it appeared that All Might did not follow him, so all was good in the end.
A locator Quirk would be very useful to obtain, actually. Something that would help All for One pinpoint All Might’s location at all time would prevent One for All’s surprise attacks. He never felt the need for one before, but All Might had upgraded One for All from a memorial to his brother into an actual threat to his state of affair. Something he silently cursed Nana Shimura heavily for.
Not only had this pathetic woman revived his brother’s foolish ideals, she had to have picked this powerhouse of a ‘Symbol of Peace’ as the next user to ruin All for One’s invisible hold on Japan.
Well, no use ruminating on that for now. All for One felt through his black suit’s pockets, and fished his phone. His nose wrinkled when he took a look at the lack of signal. A few Quirk tries later, there was no change. Wherever he was, this was not anywhere near a tower. Kurogiri could only warp if he knew the coordinates of his targets, and so far, All for One had neither that, nor a mean to contact Ujiko or Kurogiri. All for One knew the doctor was working on a ‘project’ that would allow for warping using a person as a target rather than coordinates, but the range was too short-distance for it to be useful at this point in time.
With the sun coming down, and the soft wind blowing stronger on the large green field, there was only one logical path to take.
All for One pocketed back his phone and casually strode toward the small village.
The sky had turned orange peppered with clouds by the time he reached the main street, but All for One was not worried. Whether the settlement had what he needed to contact Ujiko or not, he would make this a good experience. The crime lord had little interest in religion or old-time architectures, but he did enjoy browsing for unique Quirks to grab whenever he had the opportunity to meddle around with the common people. Which was sadly not often with how busy he had become. Working on shaping up Tenko Shimura while evading All Might’s increasing search for him had taken all his free times for a few years now.
But it would not be for long. All for One could feel the boy’s will break slowly over their sessions together. It could not take more than a few months before he would be ready. Ready to shed his previous existence, and embrace his new identity, a pupil reborn at All for One’s side from the pitiful ashes of the last of the Shimura line. The eventual rebirth of All for One’s ultimate dream.
The thought brought a smirk to the man’s face as he traversed the town, eyeing the rare people who would skitter through with mild curiosity. So far, all he had seen were mutant-type Quirks; more of the shadowy-transparent ones, and of the frog-like ones. There were probably only a few family lines around if they had so little diversity. A bit disappointing, if not expected.
The people themselves did not even appear that welcoming. One look at All for One’s direction, and they would turn away and flee into their shops with short gasps. All for one wondered if they picked something from him. Some of the murderous aura the man knew to exude whenever he needed to. Some mutations allowed human senses to pick on untold cues like wild animals did.
The man’s smile grew further. It always felt good to be acknowledged as what he was. A wolf among the sheep. A predator ready to hunt down his prey. And from the lack of advertising for heroes or a hero agency, All for One had a growing suspicion that this particular flock was missing its shepherd, leaving all its inhabitants vulnerable to the fangs All for One had yet to bare at them.
With the right Quirk set, if he so wished, he could blow up this place off the map in an instant.
...Of course, he still needed to figure out where on the map said place was located first.
This called for some sleuthing.
He could have picked any shop, really, but he let his nose guide him to a lusciously filled food stand. His stomach ordered to be fed after that eventful All Might close encounter, and he had time to spare before his return to his affair became urgent. Ujiko could afford a little stress.
“What a nice afternoon, don’t you think?” All for One addressed the man who was currently hiding behind the kitchen curtain. At the same time, All for One took a seat on one of the stools surrounding the food counter, right at the perfect place to feel the sun on his back while the shop’s flaps were shrouding his face in darkness. It was all in the presentation.
All for One ignored both the clattering sound of a fallen pan and the squeak of surprise from the kitchen, and eyed the displayed food avidly. Meat was no rare meal for the overlord of crime, of course, but he did appreciate the variety of displayed products and cooking. There was something unique to the high quality of freshly-made meals. Perhaps he could make Kurogiri, or another of Ujiko’s creations, capable of producing them for him. This was of lesser importance to making a solid army of followers for the upcoming war, however.
Plates of freshly cut meat pieces were covering All for One’s side of the counter, not too far from a steaming helmet-shaped grill, ready to be used, and already heating up pieces of sliced onions. All for One was examining the soy sauce and the small grains it contained when the frog-man in the kitchen finally peaked through the curtain to send All for One a bulgy-eyed look.
“Y-you’re c-coming f-from far away, stranger…” Slowly, the man stepped into the stand boot, back hunched, long fingers furiously twisting the cloth he was holding. His large mouth was stretched into a tentative, if trembling smile. “Wh-what brings you here?”
“Hmm, what indeed,” All for One mused out loud, a hand supporting his chin as his other hand busied itself tracing the edge of the sauce cup. “I would say ‘fate’, but I don’t believe in that, you see?” His finger stopped moving. “Or, that is to say, I don’t believe it being dictated by others than me.” He looked at the man, and gave him his best smile. “So, you could say that what brings me here is myself. You do have quite the lovely little lot here, far from all that matters in the world.”
Oh so, so far. Far enough to be gone in a blink, and forgotten.
The hot steamy air was making him salivate. He could see the light trembles going through the frog man’s limbs as he had to deal with the non-answer. So small, and helpless in All for One’s presence, although he could not know how much.
“Y-yes, um… we could never satisfy the Lady with anything less than our best…”
“… The Lady?”
Right as the frog man was about to answer, there was a knock on the wooden walls behind him.
“Hey, I see that mess in the kitchen!” a woman’s voice screeched before the kitchen’s curtains suddenly pulled up. “If ya’re not going to clean that, don’t expect me to-”
The woman froze at the doorway when her eyes locked on All for One. She was of small stature, like the frog man, but lacking his amphibian mutation. She did sports two short antenna bumps in place of her eyebrows where All for One could see two beady eyes poke from, like a snail or a slug would have. For a short moment, no one said anything, then, a small yelp came out of her throat, and she pointed a finger in All for One’s direction.
The frog man jumped to grab her arm, and started shushing her in furious mutters, chiding her for ‘making a scene’ and telling her to ‘keep calm, keep calm and all with be fine’.
Startlingly amusing of a sight, if All for One was honest. There was not much the man did not expect nowadays. There were a certain predictability to events after a while. But this reaction was quite extreme, even from an isolated village-folk. Maybe there was more than enhanced instincts at play. Maybe, somehow, they recognized him for who he truly was.
All for One knew this was not impossible, but it was at least improbable. He had not shown his true face while dealing with his subordinates in at least a decade. And even for those who would remember him, it was not like he was physically remarkable, aside from his white hair and tall stature.
Well, this was a mystery he could solve easily.
Ignoring the couple’s fussing, All for One reached for the chopsticks, and snapped the wood connecting them. The noise was enough to make the two turn their attention back on him as he picked a meat piece and put it on the fuming grill. The frog man made a startled yell and ran toward the counter.
“Ah! W-wait! You can’t eat that! Th-these are for the Lady’s guests only!”
“Is that so?” All for One asked, casually putting more meat pieces on the grill. “Then, consider me her guest. I intend to pay her a visit later.”
“B-but-”
“Wait.”
The slug woman’s arm extended to block the frog man’s large mouth. All for One watched, amused, as she gave her partner a serious look.
“If he wants to eat, let him eat.” She slowly turned back to look at All for One, putting her hands together with a shaky smile. “A-after all, if ya’re the Lady’s guest, th-then the food is all yours! Right?”
She elbowed the frog man, who stiffened like a plank, and nodded furiously. The smell of the cooking meat brought All for One’s attention away from the duo’s comedic act.
“How hospitable of you. I’ll be sure to make good of your offer.” He picked a piece of grilled onion, dipped it into the soy sauce, and bit on it. The frog man and the slug woman’s eyes followed the onion’s journey to its final destination with rapt attention.
All for One did not care much for the audience, but the bite was good. Sesame soy sauce. That was what it was. It brought the grilled onion’s flavor delightfully, and would surely mesh well with the grilling meat.
“Speaking of said offer,” All for one spoke after swallowing, picking up one of the meat piece to dip it in the sauce. “That is quite the feast to put together for such a small town. To what occasion did you arrange these healthy festivities?”
The Frog Man stared, unblinking, at the sauce-dipped meat piece, but the Slug Woman answered.
“O-oh, w-well… the Lady does not make cheap expenses for her guests! The bathhouse is a top-quality establishment, and require the best of services! The food is no exception!”
“Is that so?” That was surprising. All for One looked down at his sauce-dipped morsel. “Every evening is the same?”
“Yes. Every evening.”
This sounded outrageous, unless a duplication Quirk was at play. If such Quirk was around, All for One would love to make a grab for it.
He sunk his teeth into the meat, barely hearing someone hold their breath, but not really caring for it. The flesh melted in his mouth in an explosion of flavor, and he had to close his eyes for a time to savor it. He recognized it as mutton. Rather tender, probably lamb. Sweet and salt and spiced the right amount.
Yes. He had to find a personal chef at a point.
When he finished chewing on the small piece of delight, he picked another from the grill.
“That Lady of yours seems quite remarkable to have such amazing services. A bathhouse, you said?”
“Y-yes,” the man answered while the woman scurried back to the kitchen. “The bathhouse is the best service of the land. Guests from all over, and even sometimes beyond the sea, come here to clean themselves of all impurities.”
All for One swallowed his second morsel with a nod, and selected another grilled piece.
“And what affiliation does your Lady have with current affairs.”
“Oh, she’s well informed about everyone!”
All for one barely finished chewing on his next piece before asking: “And what of you? How informed are you?”
“I-I’m… very informed, indeed! Um… what would you like to know about?”
“How well do you know of me?” he asked right before shoving his next meat piece into his mouth.
“Kn-know of you?”
All for One nodded, and swallowed all the while placing more meat on the grill.
“Your reaction from seeing me tells me you know something. You are aware of who I am.” And was that not interesting? What did a little mutant community gain in knowing about Japan’s crime lord himself? Unless they had affiliations with other dark groups, indeed, and All for One knew of a few.
The Frog Man did not let on anything, however. In fact he looked mildly surprised, and All for One’s heart-monitoring Quirk led to no particular observation. Curious.
“Who you are, stranger? I… I don’t believe I do know that.”
“Is that so? And yet, you and your woman’s reaction tells me you know better than to underestimate me. How is that?”
The man looked nervous again. All for One savored his little victory by taking out another meat piece to dip and eat.
“Uh...”
“I've heard of them, you know,” All for one said right as he swallowed. “There are-” He shoved another piece into his mouth, not caring he has to talk while eating. “There are groups around the country like that. Pockets of resistance against Quirk-suppression laws. People who wish to use their Quirks as they please. Followers of Destro ‘Mother of Meta’s ideology. Quite the man of his time, though his prose is horrible.”
… Well, All for One was saying that, but it probably came out a bit jumbled from all the meat he was eating. Not that he particularly cared at this point. The food was too good for him to stop eating, and the Frog Man was more like a sounding board for All for One’s reasoning.
“With that in mind, and considering the amount of wealth required to keep this establishment afloat…” Another opportunity to shove a meat piece in. He didn’t dip it in soy this time. He may have forgotten to do it a few times already. “…I can only conclude that you, and your Lady, have strong ties with Destro’s movement. Possibly a family relation of his? That would explain the amount of recognition your establishment would have.”
And it would also explain why All for One was not privy to it. In spite of the Meta Liberation Movement being against the current order like All for One was, All for One’s mere existence was a threat to their whole ideology, based on having the mightiest Quirk users rule over the weak.
When All for One could just take and give Quirks as he wished, there was only one mighty around, and it was him.
His whole speech was likely to no effect on the Frog Man, however. He probably could not hear it over the chewing. No matter, if All for One was honest. The Lady was who held his interest.
Her and that juicy, delicious meat.
Had he… had be been chewing on a raw piece for the past few seconds?
That made All for One stop. He did not feel full, and his stomach asked for more, but now that he thought about it, his whole reaction to the food was… overblown.
It had been gradual, and his poison-resistance Quirk had not reacted at all… but this was not normal.
His head felt heavy.
Hurriedly, All for One spat out the half-chewed meat piece, and coughed out what he could, standing up from his stool, letting it clatter resoundingly in the empty, darkening streets lit with paper lanterns.
All for One looked up at the Frog Man, and his expression of horror was enough to tell All for One that he had guessed correctly about the food.
The slight shock All for One felt morphed into fury. He raised a hand up, voice not betraying the heavy thumping of his accelerated heart.
“What did you do?”
Instead of answering, the Frog Man croaked and turned to flee. All for One did not give him the chance. Forced Quirk Activation sprung out of his fingers, and its coiling tendrils tore through the shop-keeper’s clothes and skin, pining him to the wall. All for One brought his hand back, and dragged the now bleeding man back to the counter, searching in his fearful eyes for a clue of what made this pathetic excuse of a human being think he could get away with this.
“I can assure you a painful and slow death within the next thirty seconds if you don’t tell me what was in that meat.”
The Frog Man was probably too scared for feeling pain at that point, but he shook his head furiously.
“I swear to you, stranger! N-nothing is in the meat! I-it’s completely-”
“Don’t try to lie again,” All for One ordered, sinking his tendrils deeper into the man’s flesh. He could feel a heavy headache coming, and that did nothing for his mood. “In spite of your claim of not knowing who I was, you never once asked me my name, why would you not?”
The Frog Man hissed through the pain as All for One lifted him off the counter and out into the streets.
“Y-you never asked for mine either!”
“And why would I bother asking such a pathetic, meek and cowardly creature what they’re called?” All for One retorted with a sneer. The headache was getting worse, and so was his mood. “But you , you have reasons to worry about who I am. You, who shrink at the sight of my presence, like a meek little mouse.” All for One’s fingers twitched, and he let the tendrils bury further down the man’s flesh. “In your fairy tales, perhaps a cunning mouse could take on a lion, but in reality, the lion will always swat the mouse’s effort. So I’ll ask you again, little mouse. What. Was. In. The. Meat?”
The Frog Man’s last strain at keeping his dignity ended here, stripping his scarred mental for All for One to see, and leaving his pants soiled. Any other day, the lord of the underground would take joy in the moment.
“I-I-I-”
BONK!
The sound came in unexpectedly. So did the whiteness and the ringing. All for One’s blurry sight took more than a few seconds to return, and by the time it did, he was facing the ground sideways. He tried to blink away the stars, but the headaches returned in full forces, alongside spots of darkness in his fading vision.
Now that he could feel the pain of the hit from the frying pan, he realized who, in his excited, possibly drug-induced state, he failed to account for.
The Slug Woman, holding said frying pan, nudged on All for One’s weakened body with the tip of her foot, before addressing the other man.
“Are ya alright?”
“I felt better. Curse those heavenly blessings! They... things so difficult!”
“…up, ya did it. The… should take effect soon.”
“…eat enough?”
“… ing human! …get the pe…”
All for One seethed; even in his weakened state, he attempted to call upon his Quirks, and barely got a response. His ears were filling with cottons, and his mind was clouded with fog.
Still, he took the time to curse the horrible duo before he faded into unconsciousness.
… Oh, and All Might too.
It was always All Might’s fault, somehow.
--
All for One did not know for how long he was out, but his gradual escape from nothingness brought the soft, muffled sound of drums in the distance, and conversational laughter. Something on the side of his head tensed and shifted, somehow making the ambient noise clearer. Meanwhile, the smell invading his nostrils had the familiar, loaded weight of the cattle-raising country-side stench, and of freshly cut hay. Said smells were usually so pungent to him, he was surprised he took so long to notice them.
His traitorous stomach called for another fill at this point. All for One’s mind was slowly submerged with recent events’ memories, and mild concern and exasperation made him groan softly.
When was the last time he had even fallen for such a pitiful trick? He honestly could not remember.
Well, he did not intend to let the two co-conspirators (or their whole village, for that matter,) get away with poisoning him, if only mildly.
His eyes opened, and blinked shut in mere seconds. The street paper lanterns were filling his surrounding in a clay hue. Horrible color choice aside, the sudden arrival of light brought his headache back in full force. He really should have gotten a Quirk for mildly inconvenient pain management. His head felt both heavy and constricted, somehow, like it was clasped in between two flat hand palms.
He was laying on his side, on the hay that he was smelling. And he could see black silhouettes of an enclosure around him. Tall wooden planks. He huffed at the thought that this would do anything to protect them from his incoming wrath for this humiliation.
It was when he tried to pull himself up that the wrongness of how he felt hit him in full. When he tried to shift his arms’ position, he unbent his wrists from what should have been an unnaturally twisted fold, and yet, it did not hurt, nor did it feel uncomfortable. What should have been his palms barely felt the rugged hay strands under them. Instead, it was like an amplified feeling of rubbing nails on the ground.
For that matter, what he could see move with his still hazy and distorted vision did not look like hands at all. They were long, pale, and spindly. He tried wiggling his fingers, and felt like they were encased in some hard casts.
And what his eyes saw were darker, sturdy ends to the moving spindly sticks. Two large cast blocks on each sticks, shaped like a V.
… No. Not ‘casts’. Hooves.
These were hooves.
And it looked like they were moving when he made them move.
…Like they were part of him.
He moved before his brain caught up with his body, jerking up to stand. Big mistake, as it turned out. Soon, his view shifted again, and he fell on his back, legs pedaling the air uselessly as a surprised yelp… as a surprised bleat escaped his throat.
… A bleat, of all noises…
He, All for One, king of the underworld, was bleating.
What. A. Cursed day.
He could see it now, his muzzle separating his eyes. No wonder his sight was so distorted. No wonder his head felt heavy when it was carrying two, honestly overgrown, long and curled horns.
He was a sheep, of all things.
He, All for One, had been turned into a sheep.
He could spot his own curly pale wool now, with no signs of his black suit. He would be in the nude if not for this damn wool.
Oh, if they did anything to wreck his best suit, he was going to murder them twice over.
…After he first offed them for the whole ‘turning him into a livestock’ ordeal, he supposed.
… Also, he was definitely getting his hands (or he supposed his ‘hooves’, currently,) on whichever Quirk turned him into a helpless member of the ovine variety, because he would love to see All Might’s reaction when he used it on him.
He had to give them props for originality. All for One could recognize a master torture move when he saw one. If that ‘Lady’ was responsible, he would love to have a proper talk with her before he ended her entire career.
Well, first things first. He had to get out of this embarrassing position, then lay waste upon his enemies. And get samples of that food for Ujiko to analyze before wiping everything out.
Air Walk combined with Minor Telekinesis should do the trick to make him float back into his feet and…
…
That… was not right. Where was Air Walk? He mentally reached for the stored Quirk, and nothing. Not like nothing was there , more like he was hitting on a brick wall. Something too compact for his will to reach.
The skin under his wool started heating up while he tentatively reached for another Quirk, then another. Every time, he felt it, that mental brick wall, frustratingly keeping him from activating any power from his vast arsenal.
At last, he reached for his own Quirk. The one he was born with, and with which he had long decided to share the name of.
He hit the wall.
All for One did not panic.
All for One did not worry .
This was a setback. A minor one. Nothing major. Likely a side-effect of the transformation Quirk he currently suffered from, but that alone increased the odds that his current form was temporary. Quirks did not get so strong yet that a forced transformation one would both be permanent and prevents the user’s Quirk from being used. He would know of such Quirk.
If this was a mere animal shape-shifting effect, he would still be able to use his Quirk, since animals were perfectly capable of handling them. And if his genetics had been completely replaced with that of a Quirkless sheep, then not only would he not be able to feel his locked up Quirks at all, he likely would not even be able to think as a human do.
This was fine. This was merely a setback. He would get back on his feet in no time.
…Speaking off…
All for One flailed the air with his legs, perhaps a little faster than before, but who could blame him, really. Being stuck on his back like a tortoise was really uncomfortable. Why was it so hard to flip back in the first place? Where sheep really that helpless that they could stuck themselves this way? Or were his overgrown horns just holding him in place that well? Whoever was responsible for sheep biology could shove it up their-
“…last of the evening?”
“Seems so, huh? Oh, I almost forgot about that one…”
All for One, on his part, did not forget these voices. He stopped flailing and finally paid attention to the two figures outside the pen his large field of vision certainly did catch the sight of, but he had been too preoccupied to really focus on. Not an error he was fond of making.
The Frog Man and the Slug Woman were both here again, and they were looking at his futile struggle to right himself up.
All for One refused to feel humiliated, but he had to admit he had lived through better days.
The Frog Man scratched the back of his head.
“Well, look at that poor fellow…”
“They often get stuck on their backs on their first day, don’t they?” the Slug Woman commented in mild interest. A stark contrast from her earlier encounter with All for One. The man turned sheep silently swore to make her remember of that time before he dealt with her.
“Guess it’s disorienting and all. Hang on, little guy, Imma right you up.”
“Ya sure don’t hold grudges,” the woman noted as the Frog Man pulled the gate open and walked into the enclosure. “T’s only been a few hours since that one tried to spill your guts on the ground.”
The Frog Man shrugged before laying his hands on All for One’s woolly form. The man turned sheep tensed under the touch, silently fantasizing about biting the spindly fingers that passed through his hair, but knowing better than to refuse a helping hand in his absolutely not mortifying situation.
“Well, yeah. But now that it can’t even right himself, I don’t really feel like making a big deal about it.” All for One let a surprised bleat when he was swiftly put on his feet, for the first time in his life standing on all four hooves . There was so much wrong with with this situation, and all he could do was adjust his trembling stand as a definitely intrusive hand was patting him on the back of his neck. “There we go. All better.”
“Well, ya’ll be the one to put it with the others if you like it so much. How in the Lady’s name did it even get here today? There were no entries predicted.”
“Who knows. With all the weirdness humans get into these days, maybe it’s caused by a blessing.”
“Urg,” the woman groaned in response, “blessings are a real curse to business. Back in my days, food couldn’t fight back!”
“That one’s was especially scary, huh? I could feel the aura of power even before it stepped into town.”
All for One was still processing the situation, but his brain latched onto what the couple was saying when the word ‘food’ was mentioned.
By ‘food’, did they in fact mean what he thought they did?
Talking of ‘humans’ like the two were not humans themselves? Of ‘blessings’?
It was delusion talk, for sure… But that did not mean it was not a concerning delusion.
Mainly because these heteromorphs seemed to imply they were regularly turning people into livestock against their will.
… And suddenly, the supposed daily meat display was taking a whole other meaning.
He reached inside himself again. Blocked.
“It was such a waste of good lamb pieces. That one’s too old to even compete with the flavor.”
He focused on the open gate of the pen, anticipation stirring in his chest.
“Well, it can’t be helped. Could probably be seasoned well enough if-”
The Frog Man toppled over when All for One rammed his head on the side of his knees. The man turned sheep did not even bother preventing his momentum from taking over his legs and rushing him through the open gate.
The Slug Woman made a startled cry as he brushed her kimono, but All for One could not afford to stop and exert his revenge for now. In the first place, his barely coordinated legs were hard enough to focus on.
With heavy breathing, he concentrated on running, tense muscles and clopping hooves on the street pavement overworking in order to make sure of one, and one thing alone: survival.
All for One did not worry… but apparently, ‘Ram for One’ did .
… If he was a prone to hate himself, it would probably be over thinking of that awful pun.
“It escaped! Go after it!”
“Help! One of our sheep escaped!”
“The Lady won’t be pleased if we lose it!”
Instead, All for One decided to redirect all his hate toward All Might. Curse that man. He was the reason All for One landed in a town of cannibals ready to turn venturing strangers into their next meal.
The ruler of the underworld would say that he was above such atrocity, but really, it would be a lie. The whole concept was genuinely evil, and a part of him was jealous he never thought of such elaborated torture techniques himself.
His issues came with the fact that he was the unwilling victim of it, really. He would applaud the rest of it, had he still hands to clap with.
Speaking of hands, there were quite a few of them making a grab for him. In quite the turnabout, all the villagers, who shied away from his presence mere hours prior, apparently decided that now was the time for them to acquaint themselves with the lord of evil. As he was stuck in his poison-induced sheep form.
All for One spared a thought about getting revenge for the exhausting chase later before avoiding by a hair strand a pair of shadowy fingers, and diving in between two buildings. The narrow pathway became smaller as he rushed through it, until his wool brushed past the dirty walls, and his horns racked the stones. All for One grit his teeth at the unpleasant sensation, and pushed forward.
It was a bad idea. He knew that. But he also knew very well there were a large amount of arms reaching for him back where he came from. Even the thought of possibly getting stuck was better than what awaited him if he turned back now. His only salvation was forward.
When was the last time he had felt that way? Hunted and on the run. Alone and helpless. He thought he had outgrown these feelings long ago.
The closest he ever felt to this nowadays was whenever All Might closed in on his activities.
And yet, even All Might himself never made him feel like his heart would burst out of his chest from the sheer effort he had to make solely to stay alive .
Never had the prospect of his own demise been so intimidating. He had risen above such thoughts so long ago; coming in contact with them now was like taking a dive in freezing water.
For a nightmarish second, he stopped moving when his horns locked with the irregular walls, and his head stuck into place. It was almost in blind panic that his hooves thumped hard on the ground, and he kicked his hind legs up high.
The force was enough to dislodge him, propelling him out of the pathway, and out into the street again.
“Oof!”
Right in time to slam head first into a chest, and tumbling on the ground with it. For all All for One cursed this loathsome form and cumbersome horns, at the very least, his skull was well protected from the abuse it was going through. Sprawled on the ground, All for One carefully rolled on his belly before taking a chance at standing up, only then noticing his upper body was resting on the chest he had charged into.
Said chest belonged to a child. A boy that looked to be in his early teenage years, and who was wearing simple traditional kimono and haori. From the side-eyeing examination All for One could give, the child had a mutation bestowing him a pair of cream-colored pronged horns on his head, and two floppy ears that appeared scaly. The boy’s lime eyes focused on the ram’s face before they widened comically.
“…Oh…”
Not waiting for the boy to regain his senses, All for One pushed on his legs and jumped on his feet, kicking the prone boy’s stomach for good measure before continuing his journey to safety.
He did not turn at the boy’s surprised grunt, nor at the call the other villagers were making as they were catching up to him. None of it mattered if he could reach the field he came from. He would run and run for as long as he needed to before the shape-shifting Quirk’s effect wore off and he was back at full power. He just had to hold on long enough for that. That was all he needed.
The Quirk effect would fade, of course. It had to.
All for One could not be defeated by a mere shape-shifting Quirk, of all things.
All for One’s reign of terror would not end in the obscurity of an isolated village full of insane man-eating people.
Nor as a livestock .
He would track down Ujiko with his own four hooves if he had to.
He would even let the man run a few experiments on him if it came to this. It probably would not make his situation worse if he was still stuck like this at that point.
Not that he would be, of course. There was no way.
There was no way this was the end.
Out of the hideous clay lights of the town, and into the darkened field. The scent of fresh grass hit his nostrils, and for a passing moment, his strained muscles begged for him to slow down and take a bite off the grass under his hooves to fill his empty stomach. Thankfully, his form’s survival instincts told him to keep running away from the threat, and overrode the ridiculous thought.
The surrounding darkness filled him with dread, however. With his Quirks suppressed, away from his grasp, he could do nothing to increase his poor night vision, leaving his lesser sense of smell and his flicking ears to work on overdrive to compensate for it. Who would have thought sheep were as reliant on their eyes as humans were?
His legs were killing him as he propelled himself further up the hill, his hooves occasionally sinking and tripping him up on the irregularities he could not see. The screams down below him were still approaching, and all he could think to himself was ‘a little more, just a little more’.
…All Might would probably laugh at his predicament, wearing that awful manufactured smile of his.
… And his little brother might laugh too, if only for the irony. For all the times All for One had mocked his weakness.
If his brother had a more dignified end than his…
Reaching the top of the hill led to two events.
First, All for One had on sight what was over it, and his breath cut short.
Instead of the large plane of grassy field, there was water. A lot of it.
A dark, flowing river expanded beyond his limited sight. On the other side, All for One could spot the glowing lights of another settlement. One that was not there before.
The second event was All for One’s unsure footing missing the mark. He tripped, and tumbled down toward the river below.
If he was not so done with today’s events, he may have resisted the inexorable call to gravity, but at this point, he was almost happy to let something else make this useless body move around.
Were sheep good swimmers? He supposed he would find out soon enough. His body rolling on the soft grass did not even hurt as it fell. At worse, there was a mild dizziness to the process, which may as well be from his fatigue.
The only one that made him as exhausted was All Might himself.
… Oh, right. That whole debacle was his fault as well.
Curse All Might.
He did not see whatever coiled itself around his limp body and slowed his fall, but when all movement stopped, it was with surprising softness. A smell of fresh moss and clear water was enveloping him.
Also, he could now feel a pair of arms surrounding his middle side.
All for One opened his eyes, only to see water down bellow licking the bare feet of whoever had grabbed hold of him.
“Gotcha,” the figure muttered close to his ear. “It’s okay. I got you. I got you.”
All for One could barely see the face of his new captor with his horn blocking his view, but he could recognize the floppy ears and the silhouetted pronged horns sprouting from the wild mop of hair.
The familiar sight of the villager boy brought All for One another surge of combativeness, and he started kicking and headbutting. The boy’s grip held the sheep’s back firmly pressed against his chest, however, limiting All for One’s reach with his ovine limbs.
Even after All for One was certain he had managed to nail the boy’s chin with one of his horn’s curve, the child kept his grip firm, still muttering ‘it’s okay’ and ‘I got you’ over and over.
The cursed child may have gotten a hold of him, but it sure was not ‘okay’!
To make matters worse, the lights that were running down the hill signaled to All for One that the rest of his pursuers were joining them fast, and All for One was still making no progress in breaking free.
Sure, his options for escaping were now severely limited, but All for One would take his chance jumping head first into the river rather than being locked back into a pen.
“Ooooi!” The now familiar voice of the Frog Man preceded his arrival, and he stopped in front of the boy, his breathing short and gasping. “You… You found it… Thanks… all that is Holy… Aaah…”
The man sank to his knees, visibly tearing up under the other villagers’ lanterns. Equally out of breath was the Slug Woman, who was using her hands to fan her darkened cheeks.
“We can avoid the Lady’s punishment now! What a night…”
She had no right to complain, as far as All for One was concerned; he was the one who had the worst night here! And it would get even worse if he did not. Break. Away. Now .
He reached for his Quirk. He hit the wall. He hit it again . He pushed on it. He pried it for any hint of a way in .
Physically, he thrashed. He head-butted the boy’s chest, and then reached for the boy’s hands holding his woolly belly wool so he could bite them. So he could draw blood. Anything to be let go. Only his pride kept him from bleating out his frustration.
“H-hoa there!” called someone from the small crowd.
“That one’s rabid…”
All for One found hold on one of the fingers and chomped. He had the satisfaction of a hiss as an answer, but the child’s hold on him was kept firm.
“Quick, get the cage.”
“Uh… actually…”
It was the boy who had spoken. All the while, he had slid two fingers into All for One’s mouth and pried it open, forcing the ram to release his catch. Before All for One could retaliate, the boy had quickly switched his surprisingly strong grip to block All for One’s head and raise it high.
“Is it okay if I keep him? I can pay for him, I swear!”
All for One momentarily stopped struggling. Similarly, the villagers had stopped talking, now sending the boy shocked stares.
“Ya… Ya want to keep that ?”
“If that’s a pet you want, you can probably do better. We have a lot of choices in that regard.”
“What are you saying?” the main Frog Man exclaimed toward his crew, “we can’t let him have it! It belongs to the Lady!”
All for One felt the boy’s grip on him twitch.
“Um… well, the Lady sells them, though, right? Alive or as food, it doesn’t matter so long as I’m paying for him, right?”
The Frog Man faltered, and scratched his head.
“Ah, that’s true… A-as long as the Lady receives her due payment…”
“An old ram like that one probably wouldn’t sell well anyway…”
“Don’t ya say that!’ the Slug Woman lightly slapped the shadowy speaker’s side. “That thing cost us way more! At least three plates of fresh lamb! And he could get us a lot more if he sires!”
Before All for One could consider the implication of what was discussed, he suddenly found himself tucked under the boy’s left haori sleeve while he was fishing his pockets with his other hand. After a quick search, the boy pulled out glinting metallic coins, and showed them to the arguing villagers.
“I can offer this for the Lady, and one individual coin for each of you here, but I have more if that’s necessary.”
The sight of what All for One could only guess was gold had its effect on the villagers. As expected, given the boy’s offer, All for One had to hear a healthy dose of bargaining for his price. Mostly on the villager’s side, who all had their say on why All for One, formerly ‘that old rabid ram’, was now worth every yen, or its gold equivalent, that the boy was carrying. That child had the patience of a saint as far as All for One could gather, and his wide innocent eyes were a ridiculous feature of his overall plain, freckled face.
But All for One knew better than to complain about the source of his temporary respite. From what the boy said, it was unlikely he was looking for a quick mutton meal, at least, which was an improvement over his former situation.
So, All for One could take the humiliation of being downgraded to a merchandise turned into possible pet for now. At least, until the transformation wore off, and he could kill everyone involved in this debacle himself. It was a better alternative than letting All Might, or anyone else ever finding out the truth.
If Tenko Shimura ever found out about this, All for One could not even imagine the setback to his ‘education’ that this would create…
After the theatrical display of the villagers, they left the boy with bowed heads and large smiles, thanking him for his trust in them, and telling him they had pleasure in doing business with him. All that after robbing him blind of every gold coins in his pockets.
Not that All for One would think he was oversold (he did not think all the gold in the world would be worth his sheer abilities and person), but there was something disheartening in being part of the ‘side’ that lost in the change. Had All for One been able to speak, he was certain he could have gotten the boy the best deal he could ever get. Let it never be said he could not go ‘plus ultra’ whenever he felt like it.
The boy seemed not bothered, however. He waited in silence until the last lantern disappeared over the hill before switching his grip on All for One, and raising the ram to face him head on, letting their gazes connect.
All for One was starting to get uncomfortable being carried, even with all his muscles hurting from the intensity of his previous struggles, and the exhaustion that spread from his chest. He had to move his head away to even be able to look correctly at the boy while facing him. That muzzle really made face to face meeting not ideal.
The boy’s hair and horns were gleaming under the soft moonlight. His floppy ears were also catching a bit of a shine on their scales. His eyes where shadowed by his hair, but even then, All for One could tell their fair color. There was something slightly off about them. A bit of a slit reptilian shape. Probably from his Quirk.
After a few seconds, All for One made a tentative move with his hoof to signal that he would like to be let down, but the boy apparently failed to catch the meaning. Instead, a wide, excited smile spread on his lips.
“I knew it. It knew it! It’s you! ”
All for One’s brain short-circuited at the thought of being recognized in this shape. The boy ignored his confusion, and dragged him into an honestly bone-crushing bear hug.
“It’s you! You’re finally back! I’m so glad! I missed you!”
…Well, crushed spine aside, this confirmed that there was at least confusion in his identity rather than recognition. Considering it was the same boy who spent all his money to buy him, it was not unlikely that said boy was merely a simpleton.
All for One could use that.
…If the damn child would let him breathe!
All for One had to let out a pathetic bleat for the boy to lessens his hold and end the hug. Though All for One could now see the glistening tears in the boy’s eyes, and he definitely felt damp where the kid’s face had touched his wool. Damp, and smelling like watery moss.
Gross. Snotty brats were disgusting. No wonder he could not stand them.
He could barely stand Tenko, and he was among the most well-behaved. He had his trauma to thanks for that.
The villager boy had the decency to wipe his eyes. Too little to late, of course.
“Sorry. So sorry. I can’t help it. You… You’ve been gone for so long …” After wiping the rest of his tears away, the boy straightened and an excited smile spread on his lips. “We have to tell mom! She’ll know what to do! She always does!”
Just as All for One was silently mocking him for being a mama’s boy, said boy shifted away from being a boy. All for One’s heart jumped in his chest as the child’s teeth morphed into glistening fangs, and a large, scaly muzzle sprouted from his face. He was vaguely aware of how sharp the child’s fingers were becoming as his whole form turned serpentine and shiny, his hair spreading on his back into a mane.
All for One silently reclassified the boy’s Quirk as a Transformation/Mutation hybrid, as the now literal dragon (an eastern one, complete with the carp whiskers), was clutching him, a sheep , into his claws.
In spite of what the boy said, All for One was now seriously reconsidering his decision to stop struggling, because some buried instincts told him that this scaly lizard was not averse to taking a bite off him.
And considering how the other natives were, it was a real possibility even if the boy realized he was really a man.
Still smiling (quite a sight on a dragon’s face), the boy coiled and sprung into the sky, clutching All for One’s woolly body onto his moss-smelling chest.
As far as All for One was concerned, if anyone heard a loud scream then, he would claim that this was just the wind.
--
All for One had no idea of how long the whole trip took. Part of his brain was still in a daze, and trying to catch up with the insanity of his situation, while the rest, ‘wilder side’ of his had succumbed to the prey mentality his current form had forced upon him, making him frozen and limp in the bigger predator’s hold.
Automatically, All for One updated his captor’s Quirk analysis as a rare form of Mutation/Transformation/Emission combination, since by all accounts, the dragon’s serpentine body should not so easily stay afloat and soar through the wind without at least a bit of air manipulation.
How All for One wished he could reach for it and grab said Quirk for himself now. He was not much for full transformation-types, but this one was a brand of imposing he could get behind. What supreme Demon Lord would not want to turn into a draconian force of pure destruction?
As it was, however, all he could do was let himself get carried away by a large pair of talons, and he did it with all the grace that was left in him. He certainly did not let his fear get to him as the dragon crossed the pitch black water of the river, leaving his pathetic sheep legs to dangle over the abyss filled with the unknown.
All for One could not know fear. He was fine . He would be fine. In a few hours, the Quirk would wear off, and he could shrug this whole thing off as some poison-induced hallucination.
He’ll take the dragon Quirk for himself when that happened, and-
“We’re here!” the voice of the dragon boy reached his sheep ears through the wind. “Look! We’re here! Mom! Mom!”
By ‘here’, the dragon was obviously talking about the large palace rising from the middle of the valley they were flying over. All for One had little care for old-school Japanese historical architectures, but even he could be mildly impressed by the imposing building. From the yellow lanterns somehow keeping afloat around it, All for One guessed its intricate many roofs as being lime-colored, with golden statues of guardian deities and animals on the edges. In the middle of the garden was a pond big enough to be seen up high, lit even in the night so that the pathways surrounding it would make for a quaint promenade.
It was the sort of riches his younger self would have coveted if only for the prestige of it, but he would now rather sell or destroy to make way for some chic and practical western building.
He was in the middle of mentally taking it apart when he saw it .
Long. Long and sinuous. White-scaled with a dark mane running through it, just like the child’s form did. It was slowly unraveling its presence from the in-between intricate decorum of a roof; flying higher and higher.
All for One silently cursed himself for not accounting for Quirk heredity, because the child’s parent form was huge, indeed. Almost twice the length and thickness of her child, with a slight curve to the horns, sharp talons and glinting fangs.
All for One was suddenly reminded that he was currently a prey animal, and his body stiffened in the boy’s claws as he swam through the air, closer and closer to his mother dragon.
“Mom! Look who I found!” The boy shoved All for One right under the bigger dragon’s jaw, almost grazing her floating carp whiskers. “It’s dad ! Dad came back! He came back like you said he would!”
It was then that All for One recalled the crucial detail of his current predicament: the foolish dragon boy had somehow mistaken him for someone else (his father , as it appeared), and this likely was the only reason he had avoided a swift end in someone’s plate.
Somehow, looking at the sharp, predatory eyes of the boy’s mother, All for One had a growing suspicion that the same mistake would not be made twice that night.
Curses.
His eyes were locked on the bigger dragon’s gaze as his brain was busy swearing all the worst insults at the ones responsible for this whole mess. Curse this place. Curse the frog and the slug couple; curse this ‘Lady’; curse the dragon boy; curse his brother for laughing at him like he would if he knew, and most importantly, curse All Might and Nana Shimura’s entire legacy for their part in his misery.
If he ever got out of this alive, he would track down All Might himself and find a way to make him live through this nightmarish scenario tenfold.
‘If’… this never should have become a matter of ‘if’.
… Oh, no… he was going to die.
Why did that have to hit him now?
It was a strange thing. The certainty of it. All for One felt himself float away from his useless prey body, unable to really stay in the now, but unwilling to give up and faint. Maybe this was what his and the doctor’s victims felt right at they were led into their last moment of horrified clarity. Maybe All for One did not want to think about the irony of it all.
“He looks a bit different now, but look in his eyes, and you can tell it’s him!” the young dragon continued, completely oblivious to All for One’s distress, “I think the witch got a hold of his reincarnation and that’s why he’s like that. But you can fix this, right? Right?”
All for One heard the idiotic spewing of the youth as he was staring at his death. For a moment, the other dragon did not do anything more than scrutinize her prey, letting a glinting fang visible from under her lips.
… Then, to All for One’s shock and relief, she turned her gaze to her son, and a fond smile spread on her lips.
“… So it is. You did great, Izuku, finding his soul among the rest.” Her voice was carrying a softness that was uncanny when paired up with her imposing stature.
All for One only had the time to ponder if the big dragon was purposely messing with him by going along with the charade before the child dragon made a happy growl and just. Did a full spin twist in the air while carrying All for One. Who certainly did not bleat in surprise.
Then, the young dragon dragged All for One’s smaller body into yet another hug, river moss-smelling, bone-crushing, and oh so far above the safety of feeling one’s ground under their feet.
Really, All for One hated children. And that one was good at reminding him why.
“I knew it! I knew it! It’s you! You’re really back! You’re finally back and we can be together again, dad!”
“Your father came from a long way,” the mother encouraged her deranged son’s delusion, letting one of her whiskers graze All for One’s nostrils in a gesture he genuinely could not identify as more disdainful or mocking. “It seems his reincarnation led him to the wrong path. He will need a lot of care and purification of his soul before he can stand as equal with us once more. Do you understand, Izuku?”
The smaller dragon made a nod of approval while coursing one of his cursed claw through All for One’s wool.
“I do! I promise I’ll take good care of him, mom! You don’t have to worry about a thing!”
The other dragon chuckled, which came as a low-pitched growl that made All for One’s sheep instincts jolt.
“I’m glad you’re taking this seriously. Come. Let us rest for now. We will talk more about this in the morning.”
All for One’s appreciation for more time living on this Earth was the one constant he continued to grab on as the two dragons descended into the palace and carried on this madness of a play. In between talks of ‘reincarnation’ and ‘fatherhood’, All for One’s sanity had gone through the window and had yet to come back.
It was only when the child switched into his human form and finally let All for One’s four hooves on the tatami of a well-furnished bedroom that All for One’s reason came back to him. His weak feet betrayed him, and he fell on a nearby pillow before he could make a run for it (and to go where , he was not sure). He was still trembling under the certainly not welcome petting of his newly acquired ‘son’ when the other dragon in human form slid he door open and entered, wearing gowns that would be fitting of royalty.
Like her son, she still had her dragon horns and ears, and she was carrying herself in a manner that made All for One certain that this was the same monster he saw the fangs of before. She dismissed her son by gently telling him to fetch some food for his ‘father’, and the boy jumped at the opportunity to be helpful and ran off.
Left alone with the dragon lady of the palace, All for One was once again meeting the scrutinizing eyes of a mother, and felt his already rattled heart falter. Slowly, she walked up to his fallen body and knelt down, bringing a hand on one of his curved horns.
“Well, if this isn’t a surprise. It’s been centuries, Hisashi.”
At that moment, All for One’s mind just blanked out.
That name. How…
How did she know that name?
No one alive should have known that name!
He… It was not even his name anymore! He had forsaken it! He…
… Who was that woman?
“I can see you’re confused,” she noted, softly caressing his horn. “That’s expected, of course. Reincarnation does that to the souls. And the dirtiest of them have no real chances at remembering.” Her finger slid to the tip of the curve. “I was wondering why. Why you left us alone for so long. Why you did not come back. Now, I can see the reason, and it saddens me to realize that I’m not surprised. Your brother gave me warnings about you that I did not heed. I must say, this is a rather fitting form for you.”
His brother… how did she know of his brother ? She could not possibly know anything! There was no way…
There was no way she was believing like the brat…
That he was…
Her hand gripped the horn, and she brought his head toward her, in a slow, but firm hold. A scent of deep, cold river-bed surrounded him. Panic went through his legs, but he was unable to get up from the ground she was holding him down on. She brought her mouth to his ear, and her next sentence came in a whisper.
“Here is how this will play out: Izuku doesn’t know the weight of your sins. He cannot read the signs. But I can. You will forget about your previous life. You will stay here. With us. With Izuku. And you will be the perfect father figure you haven’t been for him these past centuries. You will make my son… you will make our son happy, Hisashi. If you do not. If you hurt him in anyway, may the gods aid me, for I will eat you whole, even if I have to season your sickeningly sinful meat until I cannot feel its taste. Do I make myself clear?”
A day before, All for One would have said with a straight face that his only fear was All Might. All Might was not even so much a ‘fear’ as an acknowledged thorn on All for One’s side. A being who worked his way up through a full legacy made of All for One’s little brother’s ideal to even be able to compete with All for One. All for One both hated and respected All Might for what he was. All for One even enjoyed the challenge All Might’s posed, in some aspect. All Might was part of the act; part of the game All for One had decided to play with his brother. With One for All . One for All was not a challenge to All for One’s existence so much as a proof of All for One’s relevance, really. The only reason All Might was who he was was thanks to All for One and his little feud with his foolish brother.
It never hit All for One before, but nothing ever made him feel like he was beneath anyone. Or anything. All for One was the Alpha and Omega of the world of Quirks. He was the uncontested ruler whose sole potential equal was his brother Quirk. All for One was the center of the modern world. All for One was special , and there was no way around it.
Except today. Except tonight. Tonight, All for One was not anyone. He was not anything. He was not even ‘All for One’ anymore.
He was prey. He was food. He was trembling under the killing aura of another, bigger predator, and he had no idea how to deal with it. He never expected the bigger fish. Or the bigger pond he was swimming in.
He wished he had fists to curl and fingers to grip at his face. But all he had were these damn hooves and that disgustingly weak body.
He wished he could reach for his Quirks and feel them.
He wished he did not have to be just ‘Hisashi’.
“Hisashi,” the woman called softly, right before pulling on his horn and making him flinch. “ Do I make myself clear? ”
He nodded before he could realize what he was doing.
The woman released his horn with a nod.
“Good. I will be watching. Making sure to hold you to this.”
At this moment, he hated the woman above All Might. He hated her for making him hate himself, his weak body. Even All Might never managed this.
Whenever that transformation was wearing off, he would strike. He would hit her where it hurt. He would take aim at her son and go for the kill.
He would make her pay.
“Keep looking at me with these eyes, and you won’t live past the night.”
This was not a threat. It was told with the simplicity of a natural truth.
Primal fear replaced hate, and he looked down with a flinch.
The boy came back with a bowl full of grass, and all the animosity the woman showed the ram disappeared under a warm smile at her hell-spawn. The kid spent an awfully meticulous time making sure All for One had the proper fill of nutriments from all sorts of plants and water, and All for One hated this all the more when his sheep body was screaming to get fed and just welcomed the grass offering. Possibly the worst part about this was that his traitorous body found the herb delightful in a way it really never should have.
All for One was on the middle of realizing he would be chewing on cud in a few hours when the boy shifted into his dragon form again to drag all for one into his typical choke-hold of an embrace, snuggling on the crime lord’s wool as he curled around him like a snake, and mumbled a goodnight wish, and forcing All for One to smell his clear water and mossy draconian form. All for One had barely recovered from the assault that the other dragon followed suit, mother shifting and coiling close to her son’s body, trapping All for One in the middle of it. Although the dragon boy had Quickly dozed off on his ‘dad’s body, it looked like ‘mom’ was ready to stand guard and make sure no escape would be attempted that night.
All for One wished he had the strength to spite her.
As it was, he knew when to admit he was outmatched. Today, the battle was lost.
… Looking at the young dragon’s sleeping form, however, All for One realized the winner of the war had yet to be determined.
Being the ‘perfect father figure’, she said? How hard could it be, when said kid was enamored with the idea of him?
The concept of being a ‘dad’ was still ridiculous, of course. But if All for One knew one thing, it was that saying the right thing to the right person could get you what you wanted.
He could not play the mother, sure, but he did not need to when the son was around.
‘Izuku’, she called him?
Very well. All for One could play that game for a while. He could play at being ‘Hisashi’ for ‘Izuku’ and his mother.
All for One did not have all the pieces yet. And this was why he was outmatched. He needed to find out more about this place, these Quirks, these ‘reincarnation’ talks. How to turn back into a human, and find out how, exactly, the woman knew of his name.
For now, he would learn. He would pretend to be the meek little sheep that he appeared to be. He would pretend to be the prey.
… And at the right moment, All for One would strike.
He felt his unfamiliar lips stretch into a smile as he closed his eyes.
All for One would show those two soon, who the real predator was.